Annmarie Patrick also was charged; she and Tuttle are being held in the Stone County Jail

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Justin Dion Tuttle was charged with felony murder in the first degree and felony armed criminal action

Daniel J. Martin Jr.

The Stone County prosecuting attorney has filed murder charges against two apparent Facebook friends of the Lampe man whose body was found floating in Table Rock Lake.

Details are scarce, however, as a document summarizing the case that is normally released is either under seal or being kept from release in anticipation of a judge’s seal.

At approximately 10:45 a.m. Sunday, according to the Stone County Sheriff’s Office, deputies dispatched to the end of Jones Trading Post Road found the body of Daniel J. Martin Jr., 28.

According to sparse court documents that have been released, Annmarie Patrick, 19, and Justin Dion Tuttle, 29, are charged with felony murder in the first degree and felony armed criminal action. Those names appeared as “friends” on Martin’s Facebook page, which was created before Martin went missing.

There’s conflicting information about the failure to release the probable cause statements in the case. Those statements, which explain some of the evidence resulting in an arrest, are almost always released at the time charges are filed.

The statements against Tuttle and Patrick have been sealed by Stone County Associate Circuit Judge Alan Blankenship, according to Deborah Scobee, the county’s circuit clerk. However, a News-Leader request to view a sealing order signed by the judge or to confirm that a seal had been issued did not result in that confirmation. A clerk hedged, saying only that a request had been made to seal the document.

Attempts by the News-Leader to obtain information from the judge failed.

Stone County Prosecutor Matt Selby did not return calls. His office pushed for the probable cause statements to be kept from public view, according to the clerk’s office.

Stone County Sheriff Doug Rader said the documents will remained sealed until Tuesday. He would not say why or elaborate.

County judges have broad power to seal documents but should be doing so in order to preserve the integrity of a case, to ensure a fair trial, the News-Leader was told by a media attorney.

Patrick and Tuttle are being held in Stone County Jail on $1 million bonds.

An uncle described Martin as quiet and probably caught up with the wrong crowd. Bill Hearn, who lives in Washington state, said he last saw Martin at a family reunion about a year ago.

Martin worked as a groundskeeper at Big Cedar Wilderness Lodge in Ridgedale, his Facebook page said. He is a graduate of Blue Eye High School.

Hearn said that authorities told his sister, Martin’s mother, that Martin was shot before his body was disposed in the lake. Hearn said he was concerned about with whom Martin was associating.